Arranging the music of one song...

Strawberry fields forev.... hey, wait a second, that's Chrono Trigger!! Chris Geehan, under the banner of HyperDuck SoundWorks, serenades us with a very mellow Mellotron arrangement of "Yearnings of the Wind" that features characteristically lo-fi samples, some vinyl cracklins, & a heartfelt, endearing ballad presentation:

I was in the midst of writing music for Cosmic Star Heroine, an RPG game by Zeboyd Games, and really, vintage, lo-fi, 80s, 90s, all of these styles were running through my head and out my fingers into the soundtrack, so I transferred a bit of that energy into this (and the other) remix I did. I wanted to do a unique and appreciative spin on how it was done.

Indeed; those flutes in particular channel the Fab Four for me, although they were certainly one of many to employ that specific patch. This transports Chrono Trigger back in time to an aesthetic that almost feels 19th century, even though the Mellotron itself was a child of the 1960's... there's this feeling of listening to something antiquated & authentic that's captured & distilled, serving the simple-but-effective arrangement quite well. Emunator writes:

"Once again, this is a drastic shift from HyperDuck's previous work, but the remix succeeds for all the same reasons. This features a one-of-a-kind retro sound pallet and top-notch production. Although it is faithful to the mood and melody of the source tune and doesn't really go off-the-rails with the arrangement, still manages to be quite expansive and interpretive."

Agreed; this is more or less a concept mix, where much of the interpretation is stemming from the instrumentation and especially the specific textures being layered. It's intimate, recognizable, and while it doesn't make particularly profound deviations from the source or employ flamboyant technical or musical wizardry, it delivers on its own distinct vision in a memorable & enjoyable way. Great stuff!

Discussion

A friend of mine has a knack for imaginatively describing
the vibe of songs, so I played this remix for him and showed
him this picture:

And this is what he wrote...

Quote

That image is a needlepoint in the dining room of an elderly
Italian woman whose house has remained in the same fashion
with the same furniture since her husband's death in 1978.
She is older and her tastes have changed - she has a Honda
now - and her family has grown. They are visiting her now,
but they do not think she has changed. Her tomato sauce is
the same as when her boys were little. The smell of bread and
of three sons and their wives and children fill the room with
blue-collar mediocrity. No one is talking to her, but she is
not alone. She sits at the side of the table. She doesn't get
up quickly anymore, so sitting at the foot of the table by
the kitchen is long past her. She lost the only thing she
would wish to have back. Her elementary aged grandson sits in
her husband's former spot at the head of the table. His
school's Thanksgiving play is soon. But she will be dead
before it happens. Her friend from Church will speak at the
wake before her family. It is breezy and she can smell the
trees.

This is now my favorite track of the year. I live
for these kind of remixes...more specially these kinds of
envisioning of experiences that words are useless to describe,
which can only be felt and not explained. Take an empty room
and utilize that feeling to make a song about empty rooms,
without ever describing an empty room, speaking a
language that only conveys a feeling and not an explicit
intention and I'll say afterwords " Gee, that track made me feel
like I was standing in an empty room" and there you have it. Why
do I love this track? 3 letters P,B,S. I
love the grainy sounds of the plucks in the beginning and the
flutes, makes me feel like Im sitting in 6th grade science class
and the projector fires up a documentary about the "Frogs
of the Everglades" circa 1973 PBS with all slight
detunings that accompany a taped sound track or the graininess of
the sound quality. Everything makes me feel like Im watching PBS
from the late 70's or 80's. I have been very busy at
trying to emulate that feeling and style and now here
is this glorious flagship for a new musical
genre....PBS-core.

The one reminds me of the quieter part of a 70's cop movie
soundtrack, I'm really fond of the style. (I don't know how to
describe that style any better, see "Man with Icey Eyes" or "
James Clarke ‎– Mystery Movie" to see what I mean.) The
arrangement isn't really complicated, but I think it's better
because of it.

Sounds kinda like a sad flashback moment when that flute comes
in. For me the stereo field was a bit odd; maybe it was mixed on
speakers, because it's pretty much hard-panned. That aside,
pretty solidly executed, and enjoyable as a vintage emulation
with an oldies sound.

I love it! It makes me think of the transition from the early
silent movies to the early "talkies". This makes me want to see a
live action CT movie done to look like this or in some 60's movie
style! LOL!

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